Скачать или смотреть Yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes)

Everything about antechinus is extreme.
All antechinus in a population breed at the same time - females come into oestrus at the same time, triggering a violent mating frenzy with both females and males mating with as many different individuals as possible. A fortnight later, every male is dead, overwhelmed by the stress. The competition doesn't end with successful mating though ... females store the sperm for up to two weeks, and only sperm from the strongest males is used to fertilise her eggs. When the babies are born at an embryonic stage a month later, they have many different fathers, and there are about 20% more babies born than nipples available...so the babies must compete in a genetic duel to the death for a place. After attaching to a teat they travel slung in an open pouch and clinging on for dear life. Antechinus depend on insect population peaks coinciding with their breeding season, making them extremely vulnerable to climate change. If changes in climate and rainfall uncouples the food supply from the breeding cycle, they could become extinct in the blink of an eye. Other big threats are cats, both domestic and feral, firewood collection and 'tidying up' of under-story leaf litter and logs. Too frequent burning practices, particularly annual burns, completely removes critical habitat for under-story dwellers like antechinus.